Mt Hutt skifield anticipates big snow dump

Snow on Mt Hutt

South Island ski-bunnies rejoice - Canterbury’s Mt Hutt ski slopes are expecting at least 20 to 30cm of snow from a weather system set to move across the country on Thursday and Friday.

Ski area manager James McKenzie says the snow will be a welcome boost to the 25 to 50cm base currently covering the slopes, and could even enable the triple chair to open at the weekend or early next week.

The snow will bring cold temperatures in its wake, making it perfect for snowmaking, Mr McKenzie says.

Hopefully the snow will make up for the lack of daylight with tomorrow being the shortest day of the year.

The June solstice will occurr at 4.24pm when the sun’s zenith reaches its northernmost point and the North Pole tilts directly toward the sun, giving 24 hours of daylight.

Conversely, there is no sunlight at all south of the Antarctic Circle.

The length of daylight on the shortest day varies across New Zealand. Auckland has over nine hours, while Ashburton will have around eight hours and 53 minutes.